


Race You to the Stairway

by Chelsea Frew (chelseafrew)



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, M/M, Mpreg, Mpreg Harry, natural birth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-11
Updated: 2019-09-11
Packaged: 2020-08-11 10:40:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20152273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chelseafrew/pseuds/Chelsea%20Frew
Summary: Harry. Louis. A stalled lift. Labour. Will the first responders get there in time?





	Race You to the Stairway

**Author's Note:**

> I was excited to get this prompt. My apologies to the original prompter, because I switched your plot from Mpreg Louis to Mpreg Harry, since that's my go-to. I tried otherwise to stick to your prompt.
> 
> My thanks to CL, my BFF and trusty beta. I am ever appreciative.

One second the lift was slowly making its descent from the tenth floor to the ground, the next the rickety cubicle was shaking to a stop as the display showed the floor changing from _6_ to _5_.

The lights fluttered off and on, then off again. A few seconds later, the emergency lights came one, not quite as bright, but plenty good enough for Harry and Louis to look at each other with nearly identical looks of panic.

"Shit," they said simultaneously.

* * *

_Seven and a Half Months Earlier_

_Harry paced back and forth across the floor in the lounge. On one end of his route was the door to the balcony, currently looking out on a stormy London sky. One the other end was the kitchen island, clean save for a plate of shortbread Harry had made just an hour ago in a fit of pique. He grabbed one of the small, square biscuits, as he reached the island for a fourth time, biting ferociously into a corner as he strode back toward the balcony and its tempestuous view._

_How was he going to break his news to Louis?_

_It wasn't that they weren't ready. They absolutely were. It was the timing. The timing was horrendous. Liam and Niall had indicated that they were on board for the long-awaited One Direction reunion, and Harry and Louis were both already looking forward to it. Their solo ventures had been amazingly fun, but they missed their bandmates dearly, and they were excited about getting back into the studio, then out on tour. Harry's favourite thing. Louis', too, for that matter._

_Drawing his phone out of his pocket, Harry checked the time. Louis would be home any minute now. Harry had to tell him that night, or he was going to explode. He'd already sat with the news for six hours, ever since the doctor's appointment he'd made when he suspected what was going on. He hadn't wanted to tell Louis in a text, and he knew he'd give Louis a heart attack if he demanded he return home **now**._

_Not five minutes--and several paces--later, Harry heard the key in the front door lock. He walked into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water. He was downing it when Louis walked into the kitchen, dropping his keys on the island._

_"Hey, babe," he greeted Harry. "Missed you. How's everything here? Starting to feel any better?"_

_Harry finished off the glass of water before replying, "I'm fine. How was the writing session?" He knew Louis had been meeting with Bebe to write something for her new album. Louis had been very flattered she'd asked._

_"Good," Louis told him. "I think we came up with one solid song she can record."_

_"That's great." Harry refilled his glass from the tap, swigging it down almost as quickly as the first glass._

_Louis chuckled as Harry drank. "Do you have a dry throat, or were you reading up on hydration again?"_

_Harry set the glass down again, then looked Louis square in the eye. "I have news," he stated without any other preamble._

_"Oh?" Louis raised quizzical eyebrows._

_Harry pulled in a deep breath. "Well, you know how I still wasn't feeling good this morning?"_

_Louis nodded. "You just said you're feeling fine now. Did you finally figure out just the right cure?"_

_"I decided to go ahead and go to the doctor to see if she could tell me what was going on, maybe give me some drugs," Harry continued his tale._

_"Did she? Could she?" Louis wanted to know._

_"Yes, and kind of," Harry answered. He really wasn't trying to be cryptic. He just needed another few moments to come up with just the right words to reveal the diagnosis._

_Louis paused, clearly waiting for Harry to explain further. When he didn't, he prompted, "Well? Don't keep me in suspense."_

_Harry hauled in another deep breath, exhaling slowly. He could delay no more. "I'm pregnant."_

_Louis blinked his eyes rapidly. "I'm sorry? Can you say that…again?"_

_"I'm pregnant," Harry repeated. Looking into Louis' stunned gaze, he added, "I know, right?"_

_"So that's why you've been feeling ill every day?" Louis concluded._

_"Yep." Harry nodded ruefully, placing a hand on his still-flat stomach. "Not a virus. A baby."_

_"I need to sit down." Louis walked over to the kitchen table and took a seat._

_Harry filled his and another glass with water. Keeping his own in hand, Harry placed the other glass in front of Louis before sitting down opposite him._

_Louis took a sip from his water, then met Harry's gaze again. "I'm sorry. This probably isn't the right reaction to this news."_

_Harry shook his head. "It's okay. I was pretty shocked, too."_

_For a couple minutes, both men just sat, thinking. Harry gulped at his water, while Louis sipped at his._

_It was Louis who broke the silence. "A baby." The words sounded foreign coming from Louis' mouth. "A baby," he repeated._

_"A baby," Harry echoed._

_"It's exactly what we talked about," Louis went on, though there was clearly more to the thought._

_Harry knew the end. "Just not now."_

_"Right." Louis nodded._

_"What should we do?" Harry pleaded with Louis for a decision._

_Louis paused for a moment, then a slow smile bloomed on his face. "I think we should start thinking of names. I'm thinking Louis if it's a boy and Louise if it's a girl."_

_Harry chose to ignore the baby names--those were both out of the question. "So, you're up for us starting that family we talked about?"_

_"Absolutely." Louis' smile grew bigger._

_"Even though we're in talks to reunite?" Harry checked, quirking one eyebrow._

_"We can work around that," Louis said, easy as a breeze. "Everyone will understand. Everyone will be so excited we're having a baby, it won't matter if we have to postpone just a little while."_

_"You're sure?"_

_"I'm positive," Louis assured him._

_Harry allowed a smile to bloom on his own face. "Then let's have a baby."_

* * *

Louis stared into the screen of his smartphone.

"What time is it?" Harry asked.

"About five minutes since we called for help," Louis reported, tapping the front of his screen, willing it to be up to the twenty minutes the guy on the intercom had promised it would take to get them some assistance.

Harry sighed, absently rubbing his belly, nine months distended with child. They had decided not to find out the gender of the baby, opting instead for surprise. "At least we have the emergency lights and aren't stuck in the dark."

"Yeah." Louis turned in a circle, suddenly filled with nervous adrenaline. "I can't imagine anything much worse than being stuck in a lift in the dark."

"I don't know…what if I went into labour?" Harry kidded. "That would be way worse."

Louis' eyes went wide, and he pointed his index finger at Harry. "Don't even joke about that. I'm going to pretend you didn't just tempt fate with that."

"Relax, Louis. I'm not due for another five days. This lift will be a distant memory--" Harry was cut off as he clutched his bump. He hissed and scrunched his face in pain.

"What is it, Haz?" Louis was instantly stood hip to hip with Harry. "What's going on?"

Harry didn't answer instantly, instead inhaling shaky deep breaths and exhaling them slowly. Once his breaths evened out, he met Louis' gaze with watery eyes. "I think that was a contraction."

"Are you sure?" Louis was aware of sweat beginning to pop out along his hairline.

Harry nodded. "Pretty sure."

"Maybe it was more Braxton-Hicks," Louis suggested. Harry had been having those so-called "practise contractions" for a few weeks now.

This time, Harry shook his head. "I don't think so. This was way stronger, more intense."

"Oh my God," was all Louis could say.

As if proving Harry was correct, another contraction washed over him, nearly doubling him over with its force. Louis grabbed onto Harry's shoulders, holding him tight as the pain lanced through him.

When the pain had passed, Louis said, "That was the fastest-acting karma I have ever seen."

Harry fixed him with a withering glare. "Not the time, Tomlinson. Not the time."

"Sorry. You okay?"

"For now." Harry moved to lean against the back wall of the lift, cradling his belly protectively.

Louis moved to the front of the lift, where the intercom button was. He pressed it frantically.

The same tinny female voice which had spoken to them not very long ago answered Louis' buzz. "Yes, sir?"

"How's that help coming along?" Louis inquired, trying his very best to remain calm, though his hold on serenity was very tenuous indeed.

"I'm sorry, sir, but it will be a while yet. The power surge in the area has created havoc on the road and the rescue squad is stuck in traffic," the voice lamented.

"Well, my husband has just gone into labour, so perhaps you could check on alternatives," Louis requested of the voice.

"Oh my goodness!" the voice exclaimed. "I will look into what I can do."

"Thank you," Louis returned, releasing the button. He banged his head against the wall in frustration. "Dammit!"

"Louis?" Harry strove to gain Louis' attention.

Louis pulled in a breath through his nose as he turned around to face Harry. "I'm sure they'll get someone here soon."

"It better be really soon," Harry remarked. "My waters just broke."

* * *

_Six Months Earlier_

_"We should tell people," Harry suggested, plugging his phone in for the night._

_As Louis checked his e-mail one more time, he said, "Who were you thinking we should tell?"_

_Harry ran a hand over his stomach, just popped with a small bump. "I think our families first. I'm not going to be able to hide this from my mum very much longer, and I think Gemma is already suspicious."_

_Louis set his mobile down on his night table. "That makes sense. Maybe we can tell my family at the same time, since your mum and mine can't keep a secret between them."_

_"Agreed," Harry said. "Then I was thinking we need to tell Liam and Niall next, since this affects them, too."_

_"That makes sense, too." Harry paused for a moment of thought. "How should we tell them?"_

_Louis thought about it briefly, then offered, "Maybe we can host a party. It's been a while since we've had everyone over."_

_"A party is always fun," Harry agreed, "but what can we say it's for?"_

_"Hm," Louis stalled for time. Harry could tell the second an idea came to him. "Why don't we say it's to celebrate our impending reunion. Nothing suspicious in that."_

_Harry smiled. "Sounds perfect."_

_"Everyone's going to be so excited," Louis commented._

_"Management won't be," Harry countered, his smile dimming just a shade._

_"Who gives a shit what they think?" Louis immediately shot back. "We have every right to start our family any time we want. They will just have to deal."_

_Harry's smile brightened again. "Ernie will be an uncle and Doris an aunt."_

_"They'll be over the moon to have a baby to play with," Louis predicted. "Just like everyone else. We are going to have the most spoiled baby in the world."_

_"Definitely." Harry punctuated his statement with a wide yawn. "Apparently, spoiled baby is ready for some sleep."_

_Louis twisted his body so he could switch off the light on his side of the bed while Harry switched off the one on his side. When the room was bathed in moonlight, Louis lay on his side and gathered Harry in his arms. "Sweet dreams, my loves."_

_Harry settled most contentedly in his husband's embrace. "Sweet dreams."_

* * *

It was obvious that Harry could no longer handle being on his feet, so Louis helped guide him down to the floor, getting him settled in the corner to give him maximum leg room. The car they were trapped in was, thankfully, not that small, but it was still a lift.

Louis crouched down at Harry's side, desperately trying to think of what to do besides pray that the emergency responders got to them before their baby did.

"Louis, I don't want to have the baby here," Harry declared, tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Well, they know you're in labour. Hopefully they'll get the paramedics here before too much longer," Louis said, wishing his thought to manifest itself as reality.

"If they don't, you'll have to deliver the baby," Harry pointed out.

_Shit_.

The scream that Harry let out just then startled Louis right out of his momentary panic. Harry scrabbled for Louis' hand, squeezing it until Louis wasn't positive there was any blood left in it.

When the contraction was over, Harry asked, "Can you call them again and see where help is?"

Dutifully, Louis pressed the intercom button to speak to the people down on the ground floor. Unfortunately, they had no news.

Upon hearing this, Harry urged Louis over. "I have to stand again."

"Are you sure?" Louis checked.

Harry just glared at him.

Louis wasted no time in placing a hand under Harry's arm as Harry grabbed the bar crossing over the back of the lift. Together, they got Harry standing once again.

Harry began to pace around the car, leaving Louis in the centre, watching him nervously. "Are you sure you want to be up and walking?"

Shooting him another glare, Harry replied, "I'm sure, Louis."

Louis held up his hands in surrender. "Fine, fine! Whatever you need to do, babe."

"What I need is for those emergency responders to get here," Harry ground out, placing one hand behind his back and one on the top of his bump. "Now."

"Is there anything I can do?" Louis asked, feeling just a little helpless.

"Pray."

* * *

_Four and a Half Months Earlier_

_The halfway point of Harry's pregnancy coincided with the onset of true summer in London. The city was bathed in sunlight and blue skies were the order of almost every day. It felt practically magical._

_Both Louis and Harry were working on the last solo projects they had planned before One Direction got back together for their reunion. Louis was producing an EP for an unknown Doncaster-born-and-bred singer he'd discovered called Mark Haverty. Harry was busy writing and recording a few songs for a soundtrack he'd been invited to contribute to. Lending his words and his voice to an animated film--entitled **A Home of Their Own**\--was incredibly exciting._

_They both had Saturday off one week, and they decided to be cheesy and take a picnic to the park. They chose Green Park to carry their basket to. It was beautiful, with lots of open spaces, while still being not quite as popular as some of London's other parks. Perfect for a couple prone to being recognised when they were out and about. They had been out for quite some time, so there were no concerns on that front, but they still thought they deserved some privacy._

_Harry packed a basket, and Louis was in charge of finding just the right spot to spread out their blanket. Hand-in-hand, they walked through the park gates, already enjoying the day out._

_They ambled down the wide path at a leisurely pace, Louis looking from side to side for a good place to sit and eat._

_They had not been strolling very long when two girls approached them, one blonde, one ginger. The ginger one--shorter than her friend--shyly inquired, "Louis and Harry?"_

_Louis and Harry both grinned. "That's us," Louis confirmed._

_The girls beamed. "We thought it was you."_

_"You guessed right," Harry returned._

_"We love you guys so much," the ginger continued, a little more confident now that she'd confirmed their identity._

_"Well, thank you," Harry responded with a huge smile. "We're so grateful to all of you for all the support."_

_"Can we please get a selfie?" the blonde requested._

_"The only rule is that you can't post it on social media until tomorrow," Louis told them, the master of sincerity._

_The girls eagerly nodded. "We won't," the blonde promised._

_Harry had the longest reach, so he took the ginger girl's mobile, then he and Louis squeezed in for a selfie. They did the same with the blonde's mobile._

_Harry expected the girls to say thank you and be off at this point, but the blonde was looking at him curiously. For a moment, he wasn't sure what on Earth she could be looking at. Did he put his shirt on inside out? Had he mismatched his shoes? His smile became tentative. "What?"_

_The blonde looked to her left, then her right, as if making sure no one else was around. Finally, she leaned in closer. "Are you pregnant?"_

_Louis began chuckling first, Harry following a few seconds later._

_The girls began to frown, unsure if the blonde had misstepped. "I'm s-sorry," she began to stutter._

_Harry waved a hand and shook his head. "No, no. Don't apologise. Yes. I'm pregnant." He guessed his outfits weren't hiding anything anymore, looking down at the small bump under his t-shirt._

_The girls' frowns morphed into giant grins._

_"That's so exciting," the ginger declared. "The first One Direction baby."_

_"Hm," Harry hummed. "I guess you're right. I've never really thought about it that way."_

_"Is it a boy or a girl?" the blonde asked._

_"We don't know," Louis informed them._

_"Even if you did, you wouldn't tell us, would you?" the blonde speculated, looking from Louis to Harry._

_Harry smirked. "That's true."_

_"We shouldn't even have told you Harry was expecting," Louis added. "Hopefully we can count on you not to spill the beans before we can spill them."_

_"We won't tell," the ginger promised, her tone thankfully sincere._

_"We promise," the blonde concurred with her friend. "We can keep a secret."_

_"Thank you, girls," Harry told them. "You're the best."_

_"When are you due?" the ginger inquired._

_"I'm just about halfway." Harry caressed his belly._

_"We're so happy for you." The blonde smiled widely. "Thanks for stopping for us."_

_"You're quite welcome," Louis returned, taking the hand she held out._

_The ginger held out her hand, too. "Thanks so much."_

_Harry took her hand in both of his. "It was nice to meet you."_

_With that, the fans were on their way, leaving Harry and Louis to continue their search for the perfect picnicking spot._

_"Guess I can't pass this off as a food baby anymore," Harry commented wryly, patting his belly._

_"Guess we better figure out how to announce this before those girls do it for us," Louis added._

_"Look." Harry pointed to a beautiful tree with the perfect spot underneath. "Why don't we sit there? We can plan our announcement while we eat."_

_Louis was already heading off the path onto the grass. "I think that sounds perfect. Let's get to it."_

_ * * *_

"That was five minutes between contractions," Louis stated, staring at the timer on his mobile.

"Fuck!" Harry shouted, resting his forehead against the wall of the lift.

"Do you want to lay down again?" Louis asked, desperate to do something to help Harry.

"What I want is for them to get this lift down so the paramedics can help deliver this baby," Harry countered through gritted teeth.

"I can call again," Louis offered.

Harry shook his head. "They won't say anything different."

"Why don't we try some breathing?" was Louis' next suggestion. "Like we learned in class." They had been attending a childbirth class. Their last one was, ironically, tomorrow. Guess they'd miss that….

Harry swivelled his head to fix Louis with a glare.

"C'mon," Louis tried to coax him. "What can it hurt?"

The people in the lobby probably heard Harry's loud sigh, but he turned around to face Louis again. "Okay. I'll try it."

Louis tried to contain his joy at Harry's capitulation. "All right. Just like Jeannie said. Deep breath in, nice and slow. Exhale it just as slow." Meeting Harry's gaze, he demonstrated the breathing technique.

Though he was clearly uncomfortable, Harry matched Louis breath for breath. He actually seemed to be calming down just a little. Until the next contraction hit.

* * *

_Three Months Earlier_

_"We have to get this room ready," Harry said, staring into the small room just down the hall from his and Louis' bedroom._

_"We have three months," Louis countered._

_"That's true," Harry agreed. He patted his growing belly. "But if we wait too much longer, I will be in no state to help. You want to decorate on your own?"_

_Louis sighed. "No, I guess not."_

_"Then we need to get this room ready," Harry repeated, stepping into the room. "What colour do you think we should do?"_

_"Well, obviously pink and blue are out," Louis said, following Harry into the room. "What do you think about green. I love green."_

_"I love green, too." Harry spun in a slow circle in the middle of the room. "But I was kind of thinking about yellow."_

_Louis pondered the idea, then slowly nodded. "Yellow. Okay. Yellow is good."_

_"It'll be like the sun, bright and shiny, and it won't matter if the baby is a boy or a girl. Everyone needs the sun." Harry grinned at Louis._

_"Absolutely." Louis traced the edge "So, I'm guessing you already have a plan in your head for how we should decorate."_

_"I do." Harry closed his eyes and pointed to the long wall in front of them. "I see us putting the baby down for bed in a white crib along this wall."_

_"Sounds good so far," Louis remarked._

_Keeping his eyes closed, Harry gestured toward a far corner of the room. "I see a bookcase over there. I want to make sure he or she is introduced to books from the very beginning. Maybe a toy chest right next to the bookcase."_

_"I'm still with you," Louis assured him._

_Harry turned in a half-circle, opening his eyes to meet Louis' gaze briefly before pointing to the wall in front of them. "On this wall, I'm imagining a dresser and a changing table."_

_"I know you have a theme in mind," Louis told him, eyebrow quirked._

_"Well, if you're okay with yellow, I was thinking maybe a beach theme, with beach-y designs on the wall along the ceiling, and some blue accents here and there for the ocean," Harry explained, all if it so clear in his mind. "What do you think?"_

_"I think it sounds perfect."_

_"I figured there's a boating theme out there in our songs, it's not such a big leap to a beach theme," Harry pointed out._

_"It's not at all," Louis concurred. He withdrew his mobile from his back pocket. "We should check our calendar, then see if Liam and Niall want to do some manual labour."_

_"We could hire someone, you know?" Harry smirked. "I think we can afford it."_

_Louis snorted. "What's the fun in that? It’s our first baby. We should do the nursery ourselves."_

_"As long as you're up for it, I am," Harry said. He held up one finger. "I can't do the painting though. Not good for the baby."_

_"Right. Then you'll be on oversight duty, making sure everything is exactly the way you're imagining it." Louis called up his calendar app and flipped through, eventually tilting the screen so Harry could see, too. He pointed to a weekend coming up. "What about here? Should I vet those dates with Li and Ni?"_

_Harry shrugged his shoulders. "Works for me."_

_All it took was a short series of texts and they had a plan. In just a few short weeks, they'd be one step closer to being ready to bring a baby home. Neither of them could wait to start._

_ * * *_

"Louis, I really, really don't want to have my baby in a lift," Harry insisted once again, tears running down his face. He was sitting back on the floor, knees up.

"I know, love." Louis was kneeling at Harry's side, trying his best to stay calm.

"Then do something," Harry demanded. He sucked in another breath as another contraction hit. They were three minutes apart now.

"I wish I could," Louis told him. "They're doing the best they can to get the paramedics here. I could check in again…."

Harry shook his head sharply, scrabbling for Louis' hand, grasping it tightly when he caught it. "I don't want you to leave."

"It's less than a metre away," Louis pointed out, using his free hand to gesture toward the other side of the lift.

"No." Harry tried to pull in a deep breath. "It won't do any good."

"Okay," Louis agreed, resettling himself at Harry's side. "Whatever you want."

Harry yelled and breathed through a particularly rough contraction before saying, He looked pointedly at his husband. "Maybe you should call and see how close they are to getting the lift down."

Louis didn't even bother to remind Harry that he had just offered to do that less than three minutes ago. He simply extricated his hands from Harry's kung-fu grip and got up to push the familiar red button.

The tinny voice was weary. "Hi, sir. I don't have anything new to report. Help is still stuck in traffic."

"Well, I have something new to report. My husband's contractions are three minutes apart," Louis told the voice.

There was an audible gasp that came through the speaker.

"Yeah." Louis turned to check on Harry, finding him squeezing his eyes shut while puffing out short breaths. "If that help doesn't get here soon, there's going to be three of us in here."

"We're working as hard as we can," he was assured.

"Work harder," Louis demanded. He wasted no time waiting for any reply. He just returned to Harry's side.

Harry reclaimed Louis' hand, cutting off the circulation almost immediately. "They're getting worse, Lou. They're getting closer."

One-handed, Louis got his timer going on his mobile. While he was guiding Harry through a pair of intense contractions, he timed the interim between them. "Two minutes, H."

Tears of pain coursed down Harry's cheeks. He let Louis' hand go and began pushing at his paternity joggers. "I need to push. I need to push now."

Louis froze. "Now? Right now?"

Harry levelled him with a fierce glare.

Louis said no more. He helped Harry shed his joggers, tossing them carelessly to the side. Ready or not, in a lift or not, it was time to have a baby.

* * * 

_One and a Half Months Earlier_

_Harry contemplated what he wanted to do for a couple of minutes before throwing caution to the wind, as people say. Gently shaking his husband's arm, Harry leaned over to whisper, "Louis! Louis!"_

_Louis woke with a start, gaze darting from side to side before settling on Harry. "What? Harry? Are you in labour?" In the soft moonlight streaming through the window, Harry could see the worry lines appearing on Louis' forehead as he rose to a seated position that matched Harry's._

_Reaching a calming hand out to Louis' forearm, Harry said, "No, no. I'm fine."_

_Louis sighed deeply with relief. "Then why the wake-up call?"_

_In answer, Harry reached for Louis' hand, placing it on the right side of his swollen belly. "Feel," he directed in a soft voice. "The peanut is having a dance party."_

_The worry lines on Louis' face disappeared as the baby kicked vigorously against Harry's bump. "Wow. This one's definitely got footie in their future," he commented with a grin, sleep forgotten._

_"Or a revival of Strictly Come Dancing," Harry countered._

_Louis chuckled._

_Harry moved so he could lay on his side, facing Louis. Louis moved with him, never taking his hand from Harry's stomach._

_"Less than two months now…." Harry stated, hardly able to believe it was so close._

_"I can't wait to meet this little one." Louis gently stroked over the spot where the baby was still kicking._

_"So, what are you thinking? Do you think it's a boy or a girl?" Harry asked._

_"I honestly don't know," Louis responded. "Do you have a feeling?"_

_"I think it might be a girl," Harry predicted._

_"What makes you think so?" Louis wanted to know._

_Harry shrugged. "I don't know. I just have a feeling. Would that be okay with you, if it was a girl?"_

_"You know it would be," Louis replied confidently. "I love girls. And I certainly have lots of experience with them."_

_"Still can't believe you have five sisters," Harry said._

_"Tell me about it." Louis shook his head, just barely visible in the pale light from outside. "Did I ever tell you that I cried when Mum found out Daisy and Phoebe were girls?"_

_"You didn't." Harry loved learning new things about the man of his dreams. "I assume you got over yourself pretty quickly."_

_"Right up until they were born, I hoped the doctors were wrong and they'd be boys. My mum had told me sometimes the doctors were wrong," Louis explained. "But once they were born, I didn't mind that they were girls. They were awesome. It was just so exciting having twins in the house."_

_"How old were you when they were born?" Harry's baby brain couldn't quite recall._

_"I was twelve," Louis reported. "I loved helping to take care of them, just like I had with Lottie and Fizzy."_

_"You're a great big brother. All those girls adore you. And this one will, too," Harry added, putting his hand over Louis' over his stomach, "whether it's a girl or a boy."_

_"As long as they take after you, they'll be perfect," Louis declared._

_"After me?"_

_"Sweet, thoughtful, kind," Louis listed qualities Harry was honoured to be associated with. There were more. "Generous, funny, humble."_

_"I hope they're those things, too," Harry agreed. "But you're those things as well. And I hope they're mischievous, loving, and just a little bit cheeky, just like you."_

_"They need to be healthy, too," Louis added._

_"If they weren't healthy, we'd deal with that, wouldn't we?" Harry wondered aloud._

_"Of course," Louis assured him. "They're you and me. We'll love them no matter what."_

_Harry yawned widely. "The dance party seems to be coming to an end. Hopefully the peanut has worn him or herself out. I could use some sleep."_

_"Come here," Louis urged._

_Harry allowed Louis to help him turn over--a more arduous task with his seven-month belly--then Louis pulled Harry in close, making him little spoon to Louis' big spoon. Harry snuggled in close, letting his eyes drift shut._

_"It's okay if it's a boy, too, by the way," Louis whispered in Harry's ear. "Boys are cool, too."_

_Harry smiled in the dark, knowing it would come across when he spoke. "Obviously."_

_"Just wanted to cover all the possibilities," Louis explained. Harry could hear a smile in his voice, too. "Those are all the possibilities, right?"_

_"At least for now," Harry confirmed. After a beat he said, "I love you, Louis."_

_Louis pressed a kiss to the back of Harry's head. "I love you, too. Both of you."_

_ * * *_

"Should I call anyone?" Louis asked as he stripped off his shirt to use as a cloth. He had helped Harry get his off, too, so there were two. It was the best they could do under these circumstances.

Harry shook his head and gritted his teeth, propping himself up with his elbows. "No time," he ground out with ferocity. "Baby's coming now."

While Louis could really have done with some assistance, he settled for trying to remember every detail his mum had ever told him about her midwifery. He positioned himself just outside Harry's spread-out knees and sent a quick, silent prayer to the heavens before saying, "Okay, then, let's have a baby."

Louis could tell the instant the next contraction hit. Harry scrunched up his face, dug his chin into his chest, and pushed with all his might. Louis felt a little queasy at the realisation that he was just about to help deliver his own child, but he forced the feeling down, knowing Harry was counting on him to remain calm and centred.

"That's good, babe," Louis praised, trying to focus on only Harry and what Harry was doing, not on where he was doing it or how unprepared he felt.

"I am never doing this again," Harry informed him, gasping for breath.

"You might not want to make that decision in the middle of giving birth," Louis suggested as gently as he could.

Harry levelled him with a look, but the look only lasted a moment because another contraction interrupted him. He pushed again, face red with the effort.

"You're doing so great, H," Louis told him.

"Hurts." Harry fought to draw in a deep breath, then another. "Hurts a lot."

"I know. Just think, soon our baby girl or baby boy will be here, and it will all be worth it," Louis reminded him.

Harry pushed two more times, then it happened. The baby's head began to crown. "I can see the peanut's head!"

Panting, Harry met Louis' gaze. "Please tell me it doesn't look like a real peanut."

Louis laughed. "Nope. It looks like a baby's head. Lots of hair. Keep pushing!"

Two more pushes, and the baby's head popped out.

"Head's out!" Louis announced, cradling that tiny head as gently as he could. "Just a few more pushes, and we'll have our baby."

Harry grunted and resituated his elbows for surer balance. He pushed hard once, twice, three times, and then the baby slid out into Louis' waiting hands.

Eyes filling with tears of joy, Louis announced, "You were right, Harry. It's a girl!" He looked down just as the baby began to cry. "We have a girl!"

Harry was crying as Louis passed their slippy newborn through Harry's legs into Harry's grabby hands. "Hello, baby girl," he cooed, laying her on his chest.

It was at this moment that the lift jumped, then started to move.

Louis was sitting shoulder to shoulder with Harry, gazing down at their baby girl, when the lift landed at ground level, the doors opening to a small crowd featuring who Louis could only presume were building security and two paramedics.

"Ace timing, lads," Louis told them. "Ace timing."

* * *

At the hospital, the baby was immediately whisked away to be examined to make sure she was healthy. Harry was likewise examined to make sure he was done with all the phases of labour and delivery and had suffered no lasting injury at having given birth under duress.

Harry was firmly ensconced in a private room at the hospital when his and Louis' baby girl was returned to them.

"She's in excellent shape," the doctor who had examined her told her fathers. "She's six pounds, seven ounces, passed all her tests with flying colours." She passed the baby into Harry's waiting arms.

"Thanks so much," Louis told her.

"You delivered her?" the doctor asked, looking to Louis.

"I did," Louis confirmed. "We were stuck in a lift. Not much choice."

"Well, you did a wonderful job," the doctor complimented him. "She's none the worse for wear."

Louis smiled, then turned his attention to the baby in Harry's arms. "She did a great job, too."

The doctor slipped from the room, then, leaving the small family alone for the first time since just after the baby was born.

"She needs a name," Louis remarked, looking down into the sweet little face of their sleeping baby girl.

They needed something that encapsulated how perfect she was. Her cheeks were round and soft, her nose a perfect replica of Louis', and she had tiny bowed lips that pursed as she slept in Harry's protective arms.

"I thought we had a little more time." Louis cupped the baby's head in his hand, stroking her cheek gently with his thumb. "I hadn't picked my favourite yet."

"I had," Harry admitted, tearing his gaze from the baby's face up to Louis'.

"You had?" Louis was surprised.

Harry nodded. "What do you think about Emily? I kind of got it stuck in my head, and I can't let it go."

Louis smiled. "I think Emily suits her perfectly. Do you have a middle name in mind, too?"

"No. Can you think of one?"

"Hm." Louis looked back down at the baby, who opened her eyes just at this moment to look back at him. "Hi, peanut. We're so happy you're here. What middle name would suit you, Miss Emily?"

The baby simply looked back at him, trusting in Louis to come up with something perfect. Her eyes were a deep blue, and they looked to Louis like they held the answers to everything.

He thought for another moment, then returned his gaze to Harry. "What about Emily Grace? For the grace you showed in the lift?"

Harry snorted. "I was not graceful. I was pissed that I had to give birth in a lift."

Grinning widely, Louis countered, "You showed inner grace. She's here, isn't she? Safe and sound?"

"She is. You're the one who showed grace, keeping calm and being there for both me and Emily," Harry insisted. "So, Emily Grace is perfect."

Their attention was stolen from Emily Grace when they heard footsteps outside the door. It was too soon for it to be any of their family, all of them on their way from varying distances after Louis had called with the happy news. They were not surprised, then, to find Liam and Niall tumbling through the door.

"Where is she?" Niall asked without preamble. He rushed to Harry's bedside and immediately locked his gaze on the new baby. "Ah! There she is. My beautiful goddaughter."

"_Your_ goddaughter?" Liam scoffed. "Excuse you. She's _my_ goddaughter."

"I was here first," Niall claimed triumphantly.

"By, like, two seconds," Liam countered.

Louis held up his hands, surrendering on behalf of his entire little family. "Calm down, lads. We were going to ask you both to be her godfather."

Liam sighed in relief while Niall beamed.

"She's gorgeous," Liam commented, smiling down at his newly minted godbaby. "Does she have a name yet?"

"We just finished deciding," Harry told them. "Boys, meet Emily Grace."

"That's a fine name indeed," Niall approved. "Hello there, Miss Emily Grace. I am your uncle Niall. We'll have such great fun together."

"Would you like to hold her?" Harry asked.

Niall nodded fervently, holding out his arms to take Emily from Harry, cuddling her close. "Hi, sweetie." She was very quiet as she studied this new person in her life.

While Niall was communing with Emily, Liam turned to Harry. "Did you really have her right inside the lift?"

"I did indeed," Harry answered ruefully.

Liam shifted his gaze to Louis. "So, you delivered her?"

"I did indeed," Louis echoed.

Liam shook his head. "That's amazing."

"I'm not sure I would label it amazing. I would have much preferred to have had her here," Harry said. He looked over at Louis. "Louis was definitely amazing, though. Truly amazing."

"I just did what I had to," Louis offered modestly.

Liam got a chance to cuddle Emily, too, then she proceeded to have a steady stream of visitors. Gemma and Lottie were the first members of Harry and Louis' family to stop by, then later in the day, the new grandmothers, Anne and Jay, arrived.

By the time the nurses kicked everyone out because visiting hours were over, Harry and Louis had retold the story of Emily's birth enough times that they were considering typing it up and just handing it out to anyone who entered the room.

They were also ready to rest. All three of them. So their assorted family and friends departed, and Harry and Louis were left to spend their first night with Emily. None of them slept through the night, but that didn't matter. It was still a truly magical time.

* * *

The next morning, Harry and Emily were cleared to leave the hospital. Louis had gone home to grab the baby bag they had prepared for when Harry went into labour, and they were able to dress the baby in a cute green onesie, some warm green socks, and an adorable green knit hat. She was all set to meet her new home.

Harry and Louis had convinced their family and friends to just meet them at the house. They knew their mums and sisters would be waiting for them to arrive from the hospital, anxious to have more time with Emily. It might be a little overwhelming, but the men would be happy for the help.

After Harry signed all the paperwork for his release, a nurse brought a wheelchair for Harry and Emily to sit in. After they collected all of their things and thanked the staff for their care, the nurse wheeled them down the hall to the bank of lifts.

Harry looked at the lift, down at Emily--slumbering in his arms--then up at Louis. They turned to the nurse in unison.

"We'll take the stairs."

End (27 June 2019)


End file.
